SCHAUMBURG PSYCHIC FACES CHARGES

Even with Gina Tan's self-proclaimed, God-given psychic gift, the 27-year-old Schaumburg resident apparently had no idea that during two weeks in July the police were watching her.

Undercover officers kept her house under surveillance and even paid for her services on four occasions.

On Friday afternoon, Tan, of 534 W. Weathersfield Way, was charged with violating a village ordinance prohibiting fortunetelling, and the like, as well as advertising such a business, police reported Tuesday.

The investigation started after Schaumburg police received a complaint from a man who found a yellow handbill on his car that promoted the readings of an "Evelyn Dixon."

The ad boasted that Dixon was a "God-Gifted," "World-Known" and award-winning psychic. In addition to her phone number and address, the ad also proclaimed that Dixon had "all the answers to your questions."

Beginning July 20, members of the vice, intelligence and narcotics unit watched the address and noted a lot of activity, according to Young.

"They (clients) were coming and going all hours of the day and night," said Young, who added that no complaints ever were received from neighbors about the business.

During the investigation, according to police, a male undercover officer visited four times and bought-with marked bills-a different reading on each occasion.

"One time she read some cards, one time she read his palm, one time she looked into a crystal ball and one time she closed her eyes (for a psychic reading)," Young said.

Then on Friday, the unit arrested Evelyn Dixon, whose real name is Gina Tan, Young said.

Tan, who was released on $75 bond, could not be reached for comment.

Tan is accused of violating Schaumburg's strict ordinance, which when written in 1960, banned all activity relating to fortunetelling, the occult, seership and other such practices.

"I think the ordinance was meant to protect people from smooth-talking con artists," said Schaumburg Village Manager George Longmeyer.

Schaumburg appears to be in the minority of municipalities in the Chicago area to adopt such a measure.

Calls to 10 suburban officials revealed that none of those communities had a law prohibiting psychic or other such readings, although some had different restrictions, especially with zoning.

In Arlington Heights, for example, a psychic could be employed at a restaurant or bar, but that person could not be a primary attraction, an official said.

In cities and villages like Crystal Lake, Woodstock, Carpentersville and Barrington, a person wishing to read minds could open a business as long as they found a properly zoned location.

"They do operate in our town," said Hoffman Estates Village Manager Peter Burchard. "We've had psychic fairs here before. They just need a special event license."

Longmeyer is not certain how many other suburbs have an ordinance like Schaumburg's.

"I'm sure some do. It's a common ordinance in municipalities," he said.